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I'm fine with gnolls. They exist as a race on Athas, mostly as tribes of savage raiders, so if halflings and thri-kreen are playable, I'm fine with gnolls being playable too. Just expect a lot of people to be afraid of and/or want to kill you, which isn't really that unusual for Dark Sun.

I'm fine with gnolls. They exist as a race on Athas, mostly as tribes of savage raiders, so if halflings and thri-kreen are playable, I'm fine with gnolls being playable too. Just expect a lot of people to be afraid of and/or want to kill you, which isn't really that unusual for Dark Sun.

I'm fine with gnolls. They exist as a race on Athas, mostly as tribes of savage raiders, so if halflings and thri-kreen are playable, I'm fine with gnolls being playable too. Just expect a lot of people to be afraid of and/or want to kill you, which isn't really that unusual for Dark Sun.

Born to a dwarven slave woman in the barrack huts of the merchant house Shom, Kalar was destined for a life of slavery. Though his birth wasn't planned, as are those of most muls, the House Shom has always been loathe to let a resource go to waste. Even as a young child, the boy was put to work; first in the fields, then later in the brick pits.

This life of toil took a turn during his eight summer. During one of what were now fairly routine whippings for the stubborn mul, Kalar's latent psionic talents manifested and hurled his overseer through a clay brick wall, killing him.

By order of the Sorceror King, all Nibenese slaves that show any psionic potential whatsoever are to be enrolled at the King's Academy, the state-sponsored school of psionics. Unfortunately for young Kalar, this was not the respite it might have sounded to be.

Life at the Academy was no less arduous than it had been in the brick pits. This slave-born half-breed would find no mercy among his instructors, whose sole mandate was the identification and training of any that were strong enough in The Way to aid the state of Nibenay. Kalar's whippings went from weekly in the brick pits to daily at the academy. The ruthless instructional methods were meant to weed out the weak in The Way, but in reality they were far better at pushing the weak willed from the school. Kalar, dwarf-blooded survivor of the slave pits, was anything but weak willed.

And so it went for many years. Kalar consistently failed to exercise any control over his abilities, and equally consistently was he punished for it. Whippings, beatings, denial of food and water, solitary confinement, and any other brutal punishment or "training" method available was leveled at the young Mul by his instructors. Only occasional sparks of obvious talent, usually resulting in at least moderate damage to the Academy grounds, kept them from expelling him as a failure.

Kalar's time at the King's Academy ended abruptly and violently, almost 6 years after he'd arrived. Though his control over the abilities that brought him here had not greatly improved, the magnitude of those abilities he evidenced had nearly doubled during the course of his "schooling". One day, during the waning of Kalar's 13th summer, one of his correctional beatings took a bad turn for the instructors that were dishing it out.

Just as it had in the brick pits, Kalar's now far stronger psionic potential lashed out at the teachers who were thrashing him with their batons, hurling both into the nearby brazer that was lighting the detention facility, killing one and horribly disfiguring the other. This time his potential didn't save him from the proscribed punishment for the death of an instructor; expulsion and, for a slave, likely execution.

Kalar was imprisoned on the grounds, and drugged into catatonia, not a mean feat for one with a Mul's constitution. When he awoke, he was in a slave-cage in the House Shom compound, and his forehead had been freshly tattooed, as was Nibenese tradition, with a series of symbols denoting his psionic abilities. The tattoos of rank on Kalar's head were very rare, however; they marked him as an uncontrolled wild talent, extremely hazardous and unpredictable, and a danger to the state of Nibenay.

Rather than post a loss with the execution of the Mul, House Shom instead put him up for auction at Fort Inix, their trading fort outside the city. Ironically, the treatment of to-be-sold slaves was much better than that he'd received at the King's Academy. He was comparatively well fed, the whippings were nearly non-existent, and he was getting to sleep nearly from dusk until dawn. It was a welcome respite from the harshness of his former school.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on your view), no one wanted to buy a young, comparatively thin mul with official tattoos marking him as a potentially dangerous psionicist. Weeks passed, and Kalar's fellow occupants in the slave cages turned over several times. If it wasn't such a comparative paradise, young Kalar's predicament might have started to worry him. A slave that can't be used for fear of Templar reprisal, and who also can't be sold, isn't worth the food you're putting into them. One doesn't spend long as an unsold slave before things take a bad turn.

As luck would have it, a caravan headed by a highly ranked member of the Cerebran, Balic's famous, state-sponsored psionic conservatory, stopped at Fort Inix to resupply. The Cerebran psionicist, a middle-aged human woman named Yosu, took an immediate interest in the the young mul, as she sensed great potential in him and this impression was borne out by the fresh tattoos on the boy's face. Ready to be rid of the deadweight, the House Shom overseers were more than happy to make her a deal the likes of which one would rarely find on a mul. Kalar was ripped from his newfound paradise of the slave-pens, with not a few sighs of relief from his fellow inhabitants, and sent with his new owner.

The trip from Fort Inix to Balic was a long and arduous one. The stated goal was monitoring Balican outposts in the Mekillot mountains, but the obvious subgoal was the recruitment of talent for the arenas in Balic. Kalar became his new owner's personal aide, carrying her gear, straightening and dusting her cabin, preparing her meals. Over the course of the journey, which lasted nearly a year in total, the two became very close. In many ways, Yosu became the mother that Kalar never really knew he was missing. At the same time, she was the single most successful instructor in The Way that he had ever had.

Kalar's understanding of his abilities blossomed during his time on the caravan. Under Yosu's tutelage, the young mul learned to harness his talents in more predictable, though still not entirely controllable, ways. He learned to focus the force he produced into simple, handheld tools. He also learned to use his abilities as a tool against his enemies, a skill he used on several occasions to defend his owner-instructor. Kalar also developed something of a talent for combat, though Yosu made it very clear that she felt physical conflict was below one of his psionic potential.

When the troupe finally made its way to Balic, Yosu made sure that Kalar was enrolled in the Cerebran, and only with her personal acquaintances. She made it one of her overriding goals to get the mul, now nearing manhood, the best education in The Way that could be provided so as to allow him to fully harness his talents. Unfortunately, Kalar's previous experience with instruction in The Way made him less than receptive to the school environment, and his progress floundered. Over the course of several years in the Cerebran, he made only modest progress in mastering his own abilities, mostly in the area of containing unwanted telekinetic outbursts, like the one that got him branded in the first place.

Yosu was not one to be easily diswayed, however. Pulling the now 16 year old mul out of his classes, she took to once again instructing him personally. At first, gains were slow. Kalar wasn't much for sitting and concentrating, probably due in part to his dwarven blood. Against her better judgement, Yosu began to incorporate more physical exercises into his training regimen, with immediate results. Within weeks, Kalar was using his telekinetic talents to leap and bound distances that were nearly unbelievable. When she allowed it, which was rarely, Yosu was amazed at his ability to channel force through the implements of war. Two more years were spent developing this side of Kalar's talents, and though Yosu softened to the idea of a physical outlet for his psionic talent, she never really embraced it. Still, Kalar had never been happier, feeling a freedom and power that he had only dreamed of in his time at the King's Academy.

Then it all came crashing down.

One night Yosu came to Kalar with an erdlu hide bag with his belongings and a number of weapons he'd never seen her with before. She told him that the King was coming for her, for reasons he was safer not knowing, and she wouldn't be able to teach him anymore. Breaking down into sobs, she gave him the name of a man in Tyr that she trusted to continue his training, and told him that he could never come back to Balic lest he be recognized as her associate and imprisoned or worse. Her tearful goodbye was quickly quashed by her supreme self-control, and she had composed herself by the time she pushed him through the secret passageway out of their adjoined quarters. Kalar's time of self-discovery at the Cerebran had come to an end.

Two days later, Kalar had booked passage on a caravan for Tyr. He had also changed his name to Erdal, the ancient Nibenese word for sandstorm. Setting off on his own for the first time in his life, he felt a deep sadness for Yosu, mingled uncomfortably with the fierce joy of freedom.

Physical Description

Erdal is tall and well muscled as befits his race, but his time spent in various houses of "learning" and away from the labor usually due his kind has left him with a noticably slighter physique than the average mul. This, combined with the shock of black hair on his head, often leads people to mistake him for a half-elf on first glance, a mistake that Erdal, whose fundamental self-identity is that of a mul slave, typically finds rather embarassing. His body is covered with scars from the whips of his instructors at the King's Academy, and his tattoo of "rank" (that rank being "dangerous uncontrolled wild psion") covers the left side of his forehead. During his time at the Cerebran, Kalar got large portions of his body tattooed in the traditions of psychometabolists at the institution.

He typically covers his tattooed head with some sort of scarf or helm when associating with people that might find it objectionable, or hold it against him. At other times, however, he is more than willing to leverage the stigma it provides if it can give him an advantage in unnerving an opponent.

Personality

Like most muls, Erdal has a very forceful personality. His time in the schools has made him more contemplative, though, and his experience with his uncontrolled talent has caused him to make an effort to maintain an even keel emotionally, so as to avoid causing trouble for himself by squishing random bystanders.

Erdal is deeply distrustful of assumed authority, particularly when that authority is assumed in the name of one of the city states. He is/was deeply loyal to Yosu, and its on her word that he is heading toward Tyr, but he does harbor some resentment over still being a slave after all these years.

Will avoid a direct confrontation unless it proves impossible or inefficient to do so, at which point he will remove the threat as directly and efficiently as possible. Doesn't "like" fighting (a feeling engendered by Yosu), but it is the only time he can let go and unleash his talents, so he does feel a good degree of guilty pleasure over it. His angry, psychokinetic outbursts are mostly under control, but he does show a lot more emotion when he's not actively holding his powers back (such as in combat).

What he lacks in muscle mass, he more than makes up for in mental toughness. Erdal's experiences have built up a resistance to mental assault (and general desperation) that puts even that of his dwarven cousins to blame. He is unshakable, because he's already been through hell.

TL;DR

Slave mul born in Nibenay, subjected to terrible training methods to produce viable psionic talents, failed and sold to psionicist from Balic who was eventually persecuted by the king. Forced to escape and pointed toward Tyr with the promise of a man who can properly train him.

All of his powers are expressions of his wild talent. He pushes people around, leaps telekinetically, lifts himself in a corona of telekinetic might, etc.

His feats represent the degree of mental toughness he built up in his training and his ability channel his telekinetic powers though is equipment. Moving forward, he'll be developing more raw, uncontrolled power (Bludgeon Expertise + maybe Dwarven Weapon Training). Eventually more control-style feats might show up if dramatically appropriate.

Questions:

-Why is Erdal a Wilder Battlemind?

Mostly because that was the class that, thanks to the new Dark Sun build options, gave me the best feeling of uncontrolled telekinetic power. It also makes him very hands on during combat, which I feel suits the character.

-Why was your character in Balic?

He was bought by a member of the Cerebran, and taken there to be trained. With some success.

-Why is your character going to Tyr?

Because it turns out his owner was a bit of a revolutionary, and the might of Balic is currently falling on her. She sent him away to Tyr to continue his training with an acquaintance.

-Does your character have family or friends? If so, who?

Only Yosu, who is either dead or imprisoned at this point. He would have some peripheral friends at the Cerebran, most likely, but he's fleeing Balic so they probably won't be very helpful.

The only thing I can think of that would ruin you for encumbrance is if you tried to carry lots of survival days. 13 Str should be plenty enough, even with Heavy armor... I'm going to load up the CB and check this real quick.

The only thing I can think of that would ruin you for encumbrance is if you tried to carry lots of survival days. 13 Str should be plenty enough, even with Heavy armor... I'm going to load up the CB and check this real quick.

Question: If we're part of a caravan, will we need to buy a ton of travel days and suchlike?

Question 2: Is there going to be any urban interaction on the trek? I was looking at the 'Secrets of the City' skill power, which would be really great for my character's flavour. I see South Ledopolus and Altaruk on the road from Balic to Tyr.

While we're at it, is the Adventurer's Kit the sort of thing that'd exist in Dark Sun? Does everyone carry around flint and steel? Sunrods? What does "10 days worth of trail rations" mean in a Survival Day context?

Isn't there a dark sun version of an adventurer's kit? I'll look into this. Being part of a caravan will take care of your survival days. I'll go into more detail and answer other questions when I'm not posting from my phone.

Isn't there a dark sun version of an adventurer's kit? I'll look into this. Being part of a caravan will take care of your survival days. I'll go into more detail and answer other questions when I'm not posting from my phone.

Not as such; the DSCG doesn't mention anything like an Adventurer's Kit but it also doesn't come out and say that the items inside it are nonexistent. I think.

You said we're using the optional breakage stuff; are we using Fumbling Breakage or Reckless Breakage?

Okay, my character is finished from a statistics standpoint. If you want, I can post his character sheet whenever. He's a Mul Barbarian, with a really heavy emphasis on temporary hit points, endurance, and toughness in general. The concept is that he escaped slavery at a young age, and fell in with a group of wasteland nomads. I'd like him to be involved in a lot of morally grey activity for a time, like leading a band of thieves or something; but that's mostly behind him now. Like Zaeed from Mass Effect 2, he's seen a hell of a lot of action, and led a lot of men in a variety of adventures, but unfortunately, he's the only one who ever makes it out alive.

Good for him, bad for his friends.

Takes mostly mercenary work now.

That's very cursory stuff, though; I intend to expand that by an absolute ton. I've never played Dark Sun before, so I want to make sure I get the character right for the setting, so he feels authentic. Let me know if anything sticks out as being a little off. I'll try to get something fleshed out up very soon.

Hm think I'm gonna make a genasi animist shaman, who sees the element/primal spirits as their ancestors/afterlife, so that he's sees himself pretty much as a necromancer with all his fucking around with them.